Overview

Our BA (Hons) Working with Children, Young People, and Families is a course with social justice and equality at its heart. It is an exciting, contemporary degree which will equip you with the knowledge, skills, and competencies to work effectively with children, young people and families in a range of professional settings.

The ethos of social justice is woven throughout the theoretical and practical aspects of the course. We will provide you with a range of teaching and learning experiences to build on your motivations and existing skills so that you can contribute positively to a changing society, particularly with services who work with, or for, vulnerable children, young people, and their families.

We recognise the importance of giving you the autonomy to shape your academic path. Alongside essential core components which will ensure you explore the breadth of this subject, you will have choices in your placement settings and optional modules, which will enable you to tailor your degree to your career aspirations as they evolve.

Practical placements are an important part of the course, in each year of the programme you will gain valuable hands-on experience working in a professional setting. This will allow you to apply the theoretical knowledge you have gained in classes to real-life situations, developing the practical skills and competencies essential for you to work in the field.

You will have the opportunity to observe and learn from experienced professionals, gaining insight into best practices, techniques, and approaches used in the field. Your time in practice will also give you the chance to build professional networks and make connections that may prove beneficial when you are looking to move into employment after graduation.

Overall, this course will provide you with a rich and rewarding learning experience that will be invaluable to a range of potential future careers in areas of work with young people, community development and education, youth engagement and inclusion, community cohesion, as well as postgraduate study. Whatever path you choose to pursue on completion of the course, you will take with you a professional practice grounded in the theory and practice of community-based, informal education.

Employability

Enhancing Employability Skills

A BCU Graduate is professional and work-ready, a creative problem solver, enterprising and has a global outlook.

A wide variety of employability skills are essential for Working with Children, Young People and Families graduates, as the potential employment opportunities are vast. One of the four key themes of the BA (Hons) Working with Children, Young People and Families degree is employability, and there is a clear emphasis on employability skills within each module studied across the course. The skills covered are aligned to careers in health, social care and education and have been identified as being key skills for such professionals. The skills foci will be different depending on the module in question, but modules are likely to promote the development of the following skills consistently:

• Team and group work
• Presentation
• Debating
• Communication
• Confidence
• Time management
• Problem-solving
• Reflection
• Self-motivation
• Resilience

To be successful in this exciting area not only requires a depth understanding of the core principles, but also relies on having the acumen and practical abilities to apply and adapt this knowledge in a wide variety of scenarios. This in-demand course has been designed to give you the practical and professional skills that employers seek through our practice-based learning approach.